Nala's revenge
by Moonspots
Summary: What if Simba hadn't won? What if Zira had killed him? In Nala's revenge, Nala finds herself an outlaw, in exile. Most of her pride has turned on her. Nala struggles through one of the worst times of her life. But hope stirs in them when a small male cub is born. Will Nala be able to reunite with her daughter and save the pridelands?
1. Simba's Fall

I don't own any of the orignal Lion Kind characters, Disney does. This is my first attempt at a Lion King story, I hope you like it!

**Chapter 1**

**Simba's fall**

I watched as he fell. The love of my life, my best friend, and yet I could do nothing. Everything seemed to slow down. The wicked lioness know as Zira loomed over him, a crooked smile sat upon her lips. A scream escaped from my throat. This couldn't be real, I must be dreaming. But I knew it wasn't a dream, I knew Zira really was about to kill him.

I rushed towards him in a fetal attempt to save him, but strong paws threw me to the ground. Tears began to stream down my blood streaked face. It was over. My life was being turned upside down. Zira raised a paw, a mad look gleaming in her eyes. She brought it down swiftly and strongly. Simba turned towards me, just before she hit him. His bright eyes told me everything. He loved me, and wanted me to still love him, even though he was leaving me.

"He's dead!" Zira proclaimed.

A choir of cheers rang up behind her. Her wicked laugh filled the air. The sound rattled my bones. The world began to spin around me.

"DADDY!" Kiara shrieked running to his body.

She was immediately engulfed in tears. I pushed myself up and ran to her. This was a hard time for me too, but I knew she needed me. I pressed against her, and together we wept. Kovu watched from the background. He was gone, he was really gone. This wasn't like when he disappeared after the stampede. This was real. Suddenly my sorrow turned to rage.

"You," I spat turning to Zira.

We glared at each other. She looked completely overjoyed. I knew why she yearned to kill Simba so much. She wanted Nala to feel the pain that she had. The pain she was feeling was worse than any blow or scratch could inflict. I wanted her to die.

"Poor little Simba. He had no chance. He was way out numbered. Mommy Nala, and Baby Kiara lose their kingdom too." Zira taunted in a baby voice.

I bristled. I knew I was in no condition for a fight though.

"I'll be generous. You have till sunrise to leave. If you're not out by then, well lets just it won't be pretty," Zira commanded.

"No," Kovu growled stepping between them.

"My own flesh and blood," She snarled, "Defying me!"

Zira threw herself at Kovu. The two viciously fought. Another lion teamed up on Kovu, and together they brought him down.

"Leave! You and your filthy princess get away from me!" She bellowed.

Tears filled Kiara's beautiful face. I turned to leave with her, but a paw caught my chest.

"Not so fast Nala," Zira snickered, obviously enjoying herself.

I could only watch her slip through my fingers also. In a few moments my whole family had been broken up.

"You and your pitiful pride are being exiled. Of course if any of them are willing to be loyal to me then they can stay." She told the group of lions.

Unbelievably a few lions I would consider friends walked towards Zira. My throat seemed to dry up as more followed. In the end only a few lions remained. A very close friend of mine, Tatony, stayed next to me. Her belly slightly bulged, for she was expecting a cub. Her fur was paler than mine, an almost creamy white. Flecks of light brown covered her from head to toe. Her bright green eyes were filled with sadness. Tatony's tail flicked back and forth.

Two sisters known as Chakaa and Mita also stayed loyal. The two resembled each other very strongly. Each had fur brighter than Kiara's. Chakaa's eyes were bright green while Mita's were more amber. All three of the Lionesses could easily be described as pretty.

"So you four lions are the only ones leaving? Its sad that more of your pride isn't loyal," She laughed.

"Now get out of my sight you filthy vermin. If I ever see you again, I won't hesitate to kill you," Zira warned flicking her tail.

Five of the outland lions surrounded them. I felt exhausted. I didn't want to burst into tears, I knew that if I were to survive I would have to be strong. Simba filled my thoughts. I fell into a pattern as I walked. My mind wandered away from reality. Kiara laughing as Simba and me played with her, seeing Simba after I had believed he was gone. I blinked away tears.

It felt like my legs would fall off by the time we reached the edge of the Pride Lands. A few of the Outlanders snickered. I glanced towards them. In a flash, his claws cut through the right side of my forehead. Blood began to trickle down. I heard a gasp. Snickers filled the air.

"Bye-bye Queen Nala," One of them growled.

I braced myself for the worst. With a strong shove, I was falling into a gorge. The world really was spinning around me. My body ached as I slowed myself down. I could see what remained of my pride make their way down to me. I limped towards them. There was concern in their eyes. Once they arrived, I allowed myself to collapse. Chakka caught me before I fell.

"We need to find somewhere safe," Mita decided.

"Right, a small cave will work for now," Tatony agreed.

I could barely remain conscious. Blood was splattered over the rocks that I had fallen over. Was I really bleeding that much? I fought not to pass out, but it was too hard. Everything became fuzzy and exhaustion soon overcame me.


	2. Betrayal in the Pridelands

**Chapter 2**

**Betrayal in the Pridelands**

Soft whispers filled the air. The air felt damp and cool. I slowly opened my eyes. I was in a cave, it wasn't anything like Pride Rock though. It was cold and uncomfortable. The familiar soothing touch of my mate was missing. Tears began to cloud my vision once more. I was tired of crying.

"She's up," A high pitched voice told the other lions.

My head turned in the direction of the voice. All three lioness's heads were turned towards me. They all looked extremely stressed and tired. Only a small sliver of light belonging to the moon was shinning out side. It seemed like most the stars had vanished, like my pride.

I tried to push myself up, but overwhelming agony overcame me. I couldn't help but gasp. Never had I been in this much pain.

"Be careful, you toke a nasty beating," Mita warned.

I didn't feel strong enough to say anything, so I just nodded. The voice from before must have belonged to her. Mita walked over to me. Mita had always acted somewhat like a doctor at Pride Rock. She gently repositioned my leg, only it didn't feel like she had done it gently. It felt as though someone might have chopped it in half.

"Sorry, I just needed to get your weight off it," She explained, giving me a small smile.

"How long was I out?" I managed to moan.

They glanced at each other. My heart sunk. Please don't say more then a few hours, I willed.

"Almost 2 days," Chakaa sighed.

Too long, way too long. Each moment that I waste could be precious time that Zira would use to gain even more control over the Pride Lands. I've already been away from Simba for two days and I have absolutely no idea if my daughter is okay.

"Is Kiara…" I trailed off

It was just to painful to talk about. I noticed Chakka shift uneasily. Mita opened her mouth as if she were to say something, but a sharp look from Tatony made her close it.

"What?" I demanded, some of my strength seemed to be coming back to me.

"Well, all we know is just from a rumor," Mita explained, unable to look me in the eyes.

"Please continue," I urged.

"Zira changed her mind. She thought she might have been too generous. She's sent out a search party to kill Kiara and Kovu," Mita winced.

It felt as though someone had pushed me out of a tree, and I felt sick. I closed my eyes. A burning hatred for Zira ignited inside me. I wanted her dead, I needed her dead. As soon as I was healed, she would be my number one target.

The other lionesses must have sensed my anger.

"Remember Nala, you're responsible for more than yourself," Tatony warned, implying her unborn cub along with the rest of them.

I sighed. Anger never resulted in anything good. It only lead to pain and more suffering.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"It's fine, I felt the same way after I saw how badly she hurt you." Tatony sighed.

Her whole body seemed to be illuminated as she stood at the cave mouth. Her head was dipped down with sadness. She had lost her mate shortly after she learned she was going to have a cub. I wasn't the only one going through a tough time.

"We'll get through this, together," I said, and for the first time in a while I felt like my old self.

* * *

The lioness paced back and forth. She had defeated her enemies, no crushed them. Everything she had dreamed off since his death had happened, yet she didn't feel satisfied. She missed Nuka, and oddly Kovu also. She regretted sending out a patrol to kill him and Kiara. She wanted Kiara dead, but not Kovu.

"Mother? May I come in?" Vitani asked.

Zira's head swung towards the opening. She was not in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment, but she would make an exception to the future queen.

"You may," She growled sitting down.

Zira sat straighter, being queen she had to be proper. The soft patter of paws let Zira know her daughter was coming in. Vitani's purple eyes seemed slightly distressed.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" Zira demanded, getting up and pacing once more.

"It's some of the lionesses. We caught a few of them trying to escape. It turns out that they had planned to get some information and give it to Nala. We have them in our custody," Vitani explained.

Zira swore under her breathe. She should have never let any of the Pride Landers in the her pride. You can never tell if they were loyal. They would just weaken the clan. And there is only one way to deal with that…

"Kill them," She spat, " They are filthy traitors and our pride can not be contaminated."

Vitani looked surprised. She surely must have thought that there would be a better way to deal with them. Sending a patrol to kill Kiara and Kovu, Vitani also thought was a bit harsh.

"And while your at it, kill the rest of the Pride Landers," Zira ordered.

"But we don't know that the rest of them will betray us," Vitani pressed.

"Well I'm not willing to take that chance." Zira snarled glaring at Vitani.

"Mother, some of them are expecting children. By killing them, we would also be killing a future warrior," Vitani replied.

She held her breathe. Maybe she could save a few of them. She knew that none of them were evil, only out of place. They just wanted to get back home. Vitani felt pity on the victims of the terrible war between the Outlanders and the Pride Landers. Zira pondered on the idea for a moment.

"Very well, keep the mothers, cubs, and pregnant females. Rally the rest up. I want to be there when you kill them," Zira decided.

Vitani felt her blood chill. Was this the same mother that had neutered her from a cub to a lioness? It didn't feel that way, but maybe she had just been ignoring the facts the whole time,

As much as it pained her to do, Vitani, with a dip of her head, said, "Your word is law."

Vitani turned and began to walk away. She glanced behind her, and then made her way out of the den.

* * *

I have had more than enough time spent laying on the cave floor recovering. I was ready to move on, even if walking made my leg throb a little bit. When ever I suggested to continue to move on, Tatony would just glare at me. I just couldn't sit here and wait while my daughter is being hunted down by ruthless lion. They didn't seem to understand that though.

"Okay, its been 4 days, and so far we've only grown hungrier and bored the crap out of each other. We need to move on," I argued to the other lionesses.

This time no one protested. I straightened up a bit. Chakka shrugged.

"I guess maybe we have been sitting around for a bit too long," Mita sighed.

"Great! Lets get moving!" I exclaimed.

I walked out of the den, trying not to limp. Finally, I needed to see Kiara again, only I had no idea how I was going to see her. Chakka, Mita, and Tatony followed her.

The soft breeze made tiny pieces of gravel dance over the barren wasteland. Bugs scattered away from us as we walked. It seemed the only living thing there was vultures. I wondered if this was similar to the place that the Outlander's had stayed. If so, than no wonder they wanted to leave so badly.

"So, uh, where are we going?" Chakaa asked.

I paused. I knew we needed to put together some kind of pride. But I had no idea where we could live or find any lions. My attention was turned to the sky, which was oddly bright for such the plain and barren landscape. The clouds entranced me, they just seemed to light and carefree. One of the clouds caught my attention. It reminded me of a tree. It seemed to shadow over all the clouds, but in a loving wise kind of way.

"I have an old and wise friend that I need to visit," I announced.


	3. The Cub is Here!

**Chapter 3**

**The Cub is Here!**

The grass underneath my paws felt softer than anything I'd every walked on. Lions used to tell me about a type of grass that seemed so light and fluffy it felt as though you were walking on a cloud. This must be were they discovered it. The stars shinned like diamonds in the sky. Each had their own story to tell, and had witnessed many things. No wonder Rafiki talked to them so much.

A small blue bird flew by my head. Following it was a slightly larger blue bird. The two looked as though the were dancing. They flew in such sync and were so elegant, they must love each other. I wonder if the other animals saw me and Simba like that.

No. I couldn't think about him like that. It caused more pain than it helped. It was just too soon to start thinking about him, yet I couldn't help but hope that when I returned to Pride Rock this whole thing would just be a dream. I shook the thought from my head. I'd known a few good lionesses that had gone crazy after losing their mate. That wasn't going to happen to me.

I had never actually made this journey. I'd heard it multiple times from Simba though… The place seemed very fitting. Very calm, and super mysterious. Small breezes whisked across my checks and fur.

The giant tree that stood before me was like nothing I had ever seen before. It's trunk alone could have held at least 8 trees inside it. Branches stretched in every direction, bright green leaves sprouting from them. The tree seemed very out of place in the flat land, yet at the same time it seemed to fit in amazingly well.

I felt my feet taking me towards it. The tree gave a sense of peaces, maybe it was because it was just so big and peaceful. It made you feel safe. I sniffed the air. It smelled sweet, like the fruits growing on it. I had no idea if he was here, or when he'd get here. I'd wait though. I'd wait forever if I could.

My eyes toke in every detail. It was a very friendly place to be. I examined the bark on the tree. To my surprise I saw lions drawn on them. There were four lions. Two of them had manes, and two of them were lionesses. The first lion had been smudged, as though it were an attempt to erase it. He also had a orange mane encircling his head. I found my throat beginning to close up and become very dry.

It was Simba. Next to Simba was a lioness. Me. I rose a paw and placed it over the picture of me. It left a faint mark. It than only made sense if the other two lions were Kiara and Kovu. Tears brimmed my eyes. I was the only one left of the four.

A hand gentle touched my shoulder. I quickly turned around startled. A baboon stood behind me. He was carrying a walking stick with two of the fruits at the top. He had brightly colored markings on his face. He looked very grief-stricken.

"Rafiki, how long have you been there?" I asked sniffling a bit.

"Long enough, long enough my friend," Rafiki replied sighing.

"I came because I need you're help. Please, I really need help. My whole life has been torn out from underneath me in just a few hours. I feel so alone in the world. I don't know how Simba could have left me, left us." I begged, tears brimming my eyes.

I had tried not to cry, but I was unsuccessful. My emotions were getting the best of me. Seeing Rafiki reminded me so much of Kiara, and Simba. If only I had at least one of them. Rafiki nodded, studying the pictures he had drawn oh, so long ago.

'I know. But Simba has not abandoned you Nala. He lives in you and Kiara. Simba watches over you now." The wise baboon explained.

I struggled to understand what he was trying to tell me. He could live in Kiara, but not me. We weren't related, he was only my one true love. And I had already known he watched over us in the stars. In the previous nights I had guessed which star I thought he was.

"I need to avenge Simba. Zira must pay! She is a horrible lion how kills others in her way," I snapped.

My pulse began to race. I hated Zira with such a burning passion. At night I would sometimes dream of her downfall. I imagined my eyes probably looked blood shot, and I looked like I was completely crazy.

"Nala! Listen to the words you speak! Zira is not much different than you. She only wanted to avenge her mate as well. This problem will never be resolved if you two continue to kill each other's family! You must find a way to solve your problems with out death," Rafiki scolded her.

I stopped. I was absolutely disgusted in myself. How could I stoop to her level? When Rafiki told me that Zira and I were the same, I almost made my heart stop. I have _nothing _in common with that beast. Every since I had lost Simba, the only solution I had thought of was to kill her.

"Well, than what do I do? Rafiki, you don't understand! She stole my life! I'm going to take hers," I snarled, my tail swishing back and forth.

"You still have your friends don't you? And Kovu and Kiara might just be alive. There is still hope. The answer to your problems is in an unborn cub. He will be strong like Simba, and wise like Mufasa." Rafiki spoke mysteriously.

I glanced behind me at the tree. There was another lion on there that I hadn't noticed before. It was below all the other lions. It was also lighter in color. This must have been the lion he was talking about.

"What do you-" I began, turning around, but he had disappeared.

I sighed. I needed to get back to what was remaining of my pride.

* * *

Mita glanced around the bare land. No food, barely any water. It was a miracle they had survived this long. Vultures circled around over head. Her stomach seemed to be grinding the insides of her.

Mita glanced back at Chakaa. They exchanged a nod. Mita stared up at the all too bright sun. She stumbled and than fell to the ground. Mita laid perfectly still and waited. Mita felt way too hot, it was like the sun was directing every single ray it had at her.

Tatony watched the sisters hunting from inside the den. She was expecting her cub at any day. She already had an idea what she'd name it. The lioness prayed that Nala would return soon. She had left last night, and hadn't yet returned. It was a long trip, but Tatony was beginning to worry about the queen.

Chakaa watched the vultures circle closer and closer to Mita. She desperately wanted to sprint out of there and spit at them in disgust, but she couldn't. They would be here next meal. After a few minutes, they were only a few feet above Mita's still body.

Mita could feel the cool flap of their wings closing in. She waited. Talons scraped the ground. Sharp beaks began to poke her. Suddenly, Mita jerked to life and grabbed the closet vulture. At the same moment, Chakaa burst towards the vultures. She managed to pin down one and damage another.

The duo ended up successfully killing three vultures. They shared one quickly. It wasn't much, but it did stop the grumbling in their stomachs for the time being. Chakaa licked her bloody lips and picked up one of the dead birds. Mita grabbed the other and they made their way to the den.

"Take one." Chakaa instructed throwing one at Tatony.

"Oh, I couldn't. You two caught them, so you should get the most," Tatony shook her head.

"Do it for you cub than," Mita urged.

Tatony sighed, but gave in. She feasted on what small meat the vulture had. Mita placed the other in a corner for Nala. She would probably be starving by the time she go back. Outside the sound of rocks sliding and hitting each other caught the sisters' attention.

It was Nala, was their first assumption. They padded out of the den cheerfully. Only it wasn't Nala. A beaten up and weak lion stumbled down the side of the gorge. At the very end, it collapsed. Mita glanced at Chakaa. Unspoken words were understood.

They made their way over to the injured lioness carefully. As they got closer, a very deep looking cut extended from her right shoulder to the center of her back was in view. She was obviously in no condition to fight them.

Mita speed up and reached her first. She listened her breathe. It was there, but barely. Mita began to lick her fresh wounds. There was no guarantee she would make it, but Mita vowed to do everything she could to help ensure that she would.

"Help me get her back to the den," Mita demanded.

"Mita, I don't know if we can save her. We aren't even able to feed ourselves." Chakaa reasoned.

"We need to help her, What if it was you that had tumbled down here. Wouldn't you want to have someone help you," Mita growled.

Chakaa sighed. Once Mita got something in her head, it was never leaving. Chakaa helped her carry the wounded lioness back. Just as they had about reached the den, a shrill scream rang through the air. They broke in a desperate run.

"It's coming!" Tatony yelled.

"I'll get the lioness, you help Tatony," Mita called.

Chakaa ran over to the Tatony. Mita carefully placed the ioness by the mouth of the cave. Where was Nala?!

* * *

I was completely exhausted. Over the long trip I'd only stopped to rest a few times. I carefully made my way down the side of the gorge. A fresh blood scent filled the air. It wasn't one of the sister's our Tatony's. I didn't know who else it could be. It was a ways away from the cave, but there was no lion.

I shrugged. I had more important matters to deal with. To my surprise, at the opening of the cave lay a wounded lioness. Its scent matched the one I had smelled earlier. Mita loomed over it. She was completely oblivious to the fact that I was there.

"Mita?" I asked.

She looked up totally caught off guard.

"Nala!" She cried jumping up.

"What happened?" I asked.

Chakaa stood next to Tatony. A soft whimper came from behind her. My heart speed up. Did Tatony have a cub while I was gone?

"We found this lioness wounded. We are going to help her. Also Tatony had a cub!" Mita squealed at the last part.

I approached Tatony. This must be the cub Rafiki had talked about. Maybe things were starting to turn around. Tatony looked up at me. Her face was radiating happiness. Chakaa also turned and looked at me. She wasn't blocking the view of the cub anymore. I craned my neck to see it. My blood turned cold in that moment. It wasn't a boy, Tatony had given birth to a girl.


	4. A surprise, and a Simba look-alike

**Chapter 4**

**A surprise, a fight, and a Simba look-alike**

From their reactions is guessed I hadn't hidden my thoughts very well. Tatony looked slightly offended and confused. The cub had dazzling blue eyes. It was the first thing you noticed about her. Her fur was closer to my color than her mother's, but she still had small brown speckles dotting her entire body. Even though she was very young, I could tell she was strong.

"I'll name her Lakae," Tatony announced.

"It's a beautiful name," I purred.

"Is there something wrong with her? You looked totally disappointed when you saw Lakae," Tatony asked nervously.

"What? No, nothing's wrong with her. She's an amazing cub. She just reminded of something," I trailed off at the last part.

In a way she did remind me of Kiara. I hoped this cub wouldn't be nearly as troublesome though. I have to start at square one again, there wasn't going to be a boy, or at least at any time soon. A moan from behind me made me turn my head. The wounded lioness was beginning to wake up.

Tatony drew her cub in tighter to herself. I could easily understand why, I wouldn't want a stranger around Kiara either. Mita looked pretty proud of herself at the moment. Her green eyes slower flickered open. She looked completely dazed. After a quick glance around the room, she was on full alert.

"Where am I?" She demanded, trying to push herself up.

"Don't worry your safe. My name is Mita. I saw you take a nasty fall down the gorge and brought you back here." Mita explained in a very mother like tone.

After a moment to process the information she said, "Thank you for helping me. Do you belong to a pride?"

At the last word her voice seemed to crack. Did she belong to a pride? Right now we needed the information, not her. I stepped forward slightly. Lakae goo-gooed and gaa-gaaed in the background

"Um, well it a complicated story. I guess we don't really. This is what's left of our pride." Mita replied.

"I have time," She growled.

After being beaten to the pulp and laying on the ground, she didn't really have much authority over us. Mita toke a deep breath, and then glanced at me. I gave her a small nod of approval. The lioness began into the long explanation. The injured lioness listened intently. Mita finally finished her story.

"Now it's your turn," My eyes were locked on hers.

"I really don't have much to tell," She shrugged.

"Well, tell us what you do have to tell, start with your name," I commanded.

"My name is Ocio. I am, well, was from the Teon pride. Our pride was a proud one. We had a king and a queen who were the wisest and strongest anywhere in Africa. It is gone now though… It was taken from me by fire. It burned everything, there wasn't any food left, and many lionesses even died. Of course, that didn't destroy our pride. A group of rouge lions did. There were about 7 male lions and 11 female. They were the most evil lions I had ever seen. They would prey on the hunting lionesses, and we had already lost our queen. We were vulnerable. After about a month they outnumbered us. Me and my mate attempted to run, but-" Ocio choked.

Tears filled her eyes. Ocio's mate must have been murdered, like mine. A sudden burning passion to help her ignited in my chest. I would help her return to full health. Once our pride had grown, I vowed to help her run out the rouge lions in her pride lands. Nobody deserved to be run out of their home, I would know.

"They kept some of the pretty lionesses. Most of the cubs also. It was horrible," She continued shaking her head.

"How long has it been?" I dared to ask.

"About 10 sunrises," She whimpered.

"Simba was my mate." I stated blankly.

Ocio snapped her head in my direction. Her eyes were brimming with sorrowful tears. My vision began to blur as tears filled my eyes. An unspoken feeling passed between us. We both understood how easily our loved ones could be brutally taken in front of our eyes. She stared at me curiously for a moment.

"So, ah, you're the queen?" She guessed.

I small chuckle escaped my lips, "Yeah, I am,"

"You know, I'm expecting a cub," Ocio stated like she had just remembered it.

Those words hit me hard. This strange, hurt lioness that had just entered my life carried a possible life changing cub. My eyes darted to her stomach. Now that I looked at it, she was noticeably pregnant. She could have the cub in as soon as a week!

"That's great!" I purred.

I already liked this lioness. She seemed to be kind, and when needed, someone who would stand up for herself. I remembered the small cub that had already been born. It deserved attention too. I turned towards Tatony and cooed at the cub. Lakae was adorable. The rest of the day passed swiftly, and before I knew it, morning was upon us.

The glowing sun rose slowly over the horizon. Everyone was already awake and ready to leave. I was the most anxious to leave. Moving on meant potentially meeting more lions and starting my pride over. The pitter-patter of my paw steps seemed to echo across the gorge. Behind me were the Pride Lands, in front was unknown territory. I wondered where Ocio was from.

"Ocio, what direction is the Teon Pride" I asked.

If possible, we would avoid the area. Meeting rouge lions would not be a very pleasant experience. Tatony was carrying Lakae in her jaws gently. Mita and Chakaa were deep in conversation. I saw Ocio take a quick look around.

"In that direction," She indicated the direction with her paw.

It was in exactly the opposite direction of the Pride Lands. That left them two directions to take. The group was already walking towards one of the directions, so why not just stay in this direction? We followed the dry gorge towards the edge of the pride lands.

The sun now was directly overhead. We had already stopped twice, and I think we would probably have to stop soon again. Water had to be close...right? It was just so dry, my throat felt perched. We hadn't eaten yet either.

"Let's go up the side of the gorge," I instructed.

No one objected, but I could tell that none of them wanted to. It was just that I didn't know if we'd come across any more puddles of water. We started up the side of the gorge. It wasn't too difficult to climb with rocks jutting out everywhere. My friends seemed to have forgotten what grass felt like. They all smiled at its soft touch. In the distance I could see a light blue pool of water.

"Look, It's a water hole," I pointed to the water hole with my paw.

Everyone looked in that direction and most of them smacked their lips. It was weird how much I'd taken water for granted back at the Pride Lands. Now it felt like a gift from God. The pace was picked up and soon we were at the water hole. Oddly, there weren't any other animals, but I'm not complaining about it.

The soft touch of water seemed to soothe my whole body. I lapped at its surface hungrily. After I'd finished, I take a step back and look around. Four big animals where headed in our directions, but they were too far away to make out. I glanced back at my pride. All of them were still drinking thirstily. The animals had broken into a sprint, and I could just make out them now. Lions. There were 4 big male lions coming right at us.

"We need to go, now!" I urgently paced around them.

They lifted their head quickly. Tatony picked up her daughter in her jaws. They could all sense something was wrong, and none of them wanted to get into any more trouble. We started jogging away from the lions. We were a ways from the water hole, but still we were pursued. Fear coursed through my veins. The lions were after us, and gaining quickly.

"Run," I decided breaking into a sprint.

They world flew by me. Air whipped mercilessly at my face. I didn't care though. Right now all the mattered was getting away from them. Antelope ran away from us, they reminded me of how hungry I was. With a quick look behind me, I realized how close they actually were. We had no chance of running, only to fight now. I slowed down.

They four lions encircled us smiling. The leader stood directly in front of me. He had piercing icy blue eyes. His lips were twisted back into a crooked smile. A golden brown mane encircled his head. The lion was built, and only barely smaller than Simba was. His body was a golden very similar to the sun. We glared into each other's eyes.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here? Five lonely lionesses traveling together." He shifted his gaze to Chakaa and Mita, "And boy, they sure are something else."

A chuckle erupted from the male lions. The lion to my left had a dark colored pelt, almost brown. He reminded me of Kovu; only this lion had an evil gleam to his face. He was watching Mita carefully. Mita glared back at him. I couldn't see the fourth lion but the lion to my right looked very similar to the lion to my left. They must be siblings.

"What do you want?" I growled in the most threatening voice I could muster.

"What do I want? What are you doing here? This is our land, and any trespassers answer to me." He threatened taking a step closer to me.

My insides seemed to flip inside of me. We weren't going to talk our way out of this one. We didn't exactly have the numbers. One lioness that was expecting a cub, 3 healthy lionesses, and one with a cub. They might have a few less lions then us but we didn't really have an advantage. All of us were exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.

They male lions crept closer to us. We took an unsure step back. This was bad. Very bad. Tatony gave a small threatening growl. This only caused the leader lion to laugh. There would have to be bloodshed. It was kind of sad that this would be the way I was defeated.

"Ocio, take Lakae," Tatony said through the cub's fur.

Ocio took the cub from Tatony. She knew what that meant. With a screech, Tatony threw herself at one of the lions. They two wrestled each other with ferocity. Claws struck the side of my cheek and I could feel the warmth of blood begin to trickle down it. My head whipped in the leader's direction. With teeth bared I hurled myself at him. Chaos broke out.

The lion and I fought mercilessly. I could feel pain as his teeth meet my shoulder. My claws swiftly ran right over his left eye. He howled in pain and thrust me away from him. It was a struggle to stand. I could tell that the rest of my pride was also struggling to fend off the lions. A sudden roar filled the air. A strong lion ran towards us. Great, this was just what we needed, more to fight off. He had fur that was the color of dead grass. His amber eyes were narrowed not at me, but at the leader lion. His light brown mane was whipping behind him. Watching him fearlessly run towards us, made him reminded me of Simba.

The two lions meet in the air. Teeth bared and claws clashed. After a few tense minutes the leader was pinned by the rouge lion.

"Please, I-I-let me go," He begged cowering at his paws.

A smile flashed across his face. The lion toke his paw off the lion. The four lions high tailed it out of there. I stared at the lion with curiosity. Who was this mysterious lion that had saved us? He turned and returned my stare.

"I wish to join you pride,"


	5. I Think I'm Falling for You

His eyes were determinedly set on mine, like he had no intention of every kidding around. They seemed to be just the same shade as Simba's…

"Who-who are you?" I faltered.

He toke a deep breath, like he had a long story he needed to tell. I could barely feel his hot breathe on the tip of my nose. It felt as though he was just a little to close to me.

"My name is Estana, I…" He trailed off uncertainly.

"I?" My eyebrows raised.

"I want to know what your answer is," He caught himself.

My lips parted slightly to assure him that he would be part of my pride, but uncertainty crept into my mind. I really shouldn't be so trusting, one day it would really get me in trouble. Everyone's eyes seemed to be focused on me. It toke me a moment to make up my mind, but how could I turn him down when he just saved us from a terrible fate? Plus, we did need more male lions.

"Well, after a great heroic save like that, how could I refuse you?" I toyed with him.

Inside I was holding my breath. Please say I made the right decision. The pride seemed to approve it. Estana let out a soft chuckle. My cheeks seemed to flush a bit, and I hated myself for it. I cursed my stupid reaction. Our eyes were still locked with each other.

Tatony, carrying her cub, approached the new lion from behind me. Her eyes were bright and friendly. Chakaa, and Mita followed her. They all greeted the new member happily. A few laughs followed, but I wasn't really paying attention, my mind seemed to be playing tricks on me again.

Simba stood there, not Estana, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to greet him. His familiar eyes were gazing deep into my aqua ones. His lips were curled up into the most heartwarming smile ever. That elegant mane seemed to just barely blow along with the light breeze.

"Simba," I whispered to myself.

"Nala?" Reality crashed into me.

Simba wasn't standing in front of me, Estana was. I bitterly scolded myself. I was delusional, and just needed to pull myself together. I turned to the left. Ocio looked concerned for me. A fake, but convincing, smile appeared on my face. No need to worry the rest of my pride. I couldn't help but notice her limp, and marks across her flank, I should have waited longer before leaving.

"So, what would your name be," The golden lion was staring right at me.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm Nala," I replied, straightening up a bit.

He might be the strongest lion here, but I wanted it to be obvious who was really in charge. My eyes narrowed slightly at him. With a small dip of his head, he showed me he understood. Ocio was the only lioness who didn't seem overjoyed to have a new pride member. I tried to understand why, but decided I had better things to do.

"Estana, why don't you tell us a little bit about your self," My voice seemed to ring above the rest, "But first let's get out of this heat."

Everyone seemed to agree. I lead the small group of lion to some shade under a tree. We all toke a seat and watched Estana. He didn't sit down though, he seemed to act a bit like he was superior to all of us, well besides me. It wasn't in a snotty way though.

"I don't really have much to tell. As I cub, I never really grew up in any pride, my mother didn't see it as a fit way to live. She was a stubborn one, and didn't like being bossed around by anyone."

I pondered on this idea for a moment. Never been a pride? He had a lot to learn than, he'd need to if he really wanted to stay with them. I waited for him to continue.

"My father was a rouge lion, and quickly abandoned my mother after birth. I have grown up learning how to take care of myself, and eventually I also had my mother grow to weak to do that for herself. She died about 20 sunrises back. She was older than most lioness when she had me. I have been on my own ever since. I spotted you a few days ago. I admit you sparked my curiosity. After a few hours I came to the conclusion that you wanted to start a pride. This thought intrigued me, for I had always wanted to be apart of one. When I saw you being attacked, I took the opportunity to introduce myself,"

He shrugged. He was watching me carefully, trying to understand what I was thinking. Chakaa and Mita exchanged glances. I heard a few giggles and whispers between them. I reminded myself that they were a couple years younger than us, and weren't quite as mature.

"Thanks, you don't happen to know a good place to stay the night?" I asked.

Personally, I though some food would be great too. We just might not have the luxury right now though. Estana thought for a moment, and than smiled. The light breeze made his mane seem like it was dancing.

"I think I just might,"

It was already getting dark, but we had food and a nice place to sleep. Instead of the hard rocks and pebbles stretching out in front of us, soft, wispy grass did. The moon radiated light in every direction. I was staring up at the stars. They were scatter all over the midnight sky. A few fell away from all the rest, finding a way to disappear from my sight.

I stole a quick glance behind my shoulder. Tatony was licking her new cub, Mita and Chakaa entranced by Estana's every word, and Ocio curled into a small sleeping ball. Finally, I felt a peace with myself. My attention turned to the area where the Pride Lands were. I could barely make out the large form of Pride Rock. I sighed, and laid my head on my paws.

I felt the ground behind me move slightly. A large figure toke a seat next to me. I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk, but I'd give him a chance. He was staring up at the stars, seeming as memorized by them as I was.

"So, what are you doin' out here?" He never toke his gaze off the brilliant night sky.

"Trying to remember," I realized the truth of my words.

Estana turned towards me, "Tell me about you,"

"I-," I faltered, words seemed to fail me at the moment.

"Well?"

"It's a long story,"

"Well, I have a long time,"

"Honestly, I doubt you'd want to hear it. It's long and most of the time uneventful,"

What a big lie. I just didn't feel like I have the energy to talk right now. Praying he'd leave, I studied the grass in front of me. My prayers apparently didn't work because he stayed. A paw gave me a light nudge on the shoulder. I glanced up at him. His eyes shinned just as bright as the stars, and his smile was as large as Pride Rock.

"You don't need to be so closed off, sometimes it's nice to tell others about your feelings," He offered.

I wasn't sure that I really needed advice from this new comer. I was about to give him a snappy retort when I caught the look in his eyes. He was flirting. He was flirting with _me. _The fact itself seemed to stun me. I was Simba's, dead or alive.

"Really, sometimes its better when you don't," I growled.

He flinched. Estana bit the inside of his cheek, trying to understand what it was that he'd said. This lion was stubborn, and he didn't intend to give up so easily.

"Sorry, look, I just wanted to talk, that's all. It doesn't have to be about your past. It could be about what you plan to do with your pride," Estana gave me a warm smile.

Without success I tried to ignore him. He was just so…right. It really didn't make sense to me, but I knew that I enjoyed being with him. Maybe it was that familiar smile or, the perseverance that she knew so well.

"Okay, you've got me. I'll talk to you," I caved in.

I mean it wasn't like hanging out with him was bad, right? Estana seemed greatly pleased by this fact. I really couldn't thing of anything to talk about, so I just ended up talking to him about my past. If possible, I tried to skip over most of the parts including Simba.

We must have been out there for about an hour. It was nice to talk to someone. I would usually talk to Tatony, but she had more important things to worry about right now. I noticed that Estana had scouted closer to me little by little. In a way it bothered me, but at the same time it also pleased me. I really just needed to figure out my feelings.

"I'm going to go back to the cave," I told him getting up.

"Hey Nala?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks,"

"For what?"

"Talking, I haven't really talked to anybody for a really long time," He sounded hollow and distant.

"Anytime," I wanted to be nice to him.

The cave was warm. I curled up close to Tatony and Mita. I noticed that Ocio had sort of excluded herself from the other lions. She looked lonely, like she didn't think she belonged. She did though, just as much as any of us. I got up and laid down next to her. The sound of Estana's footsteps briefly woke me, but soon I fell back to sleep.


	6. Those Hyenas

**Chapter 6**

**Those hyens**

Overhead the sun was scorching everything underneath, but here, under the grass, it seemed at least a bit cooler. The animal in front of us grazed on the grass, totally unaware of the danger lurking just feet away. I sneak a glance at Estana. He is intently focused on the animal, like I am. A small step, than another. It's with in leaping distance. The ears on top of its head perk up, and its head snaps back in Estana's direction. It's now or never. Compacted like a spring, my legs shoot me towards the antelope.

It tries to run, but I've already jumped on it. My claws snag onto its mangled fur. The animal then restores to buck. After a few shaky moments, I bite into its throat. The tang of blood fills my mouth, and I can feel the animal's life slipping away. I turn to see if Mita and Estana caught anything. I smile when I realize that they both caught one. We could really use a good meal like this one.

It's been four days since we meet Estana, and so far the pride loves him. Mita and Chakaa practically grovel at his feet, well, I guess that he is handsome, like Simba was. Ocio is getting closer and closer to her due date. Tatony and Laeka are great pair. Tatony is an amazing mother, and Laeka is so cute, almost as cute as Kiara.

Evening is upon us before I know it. The sun seemed to spare us a bit as the night went on. Everyone was gathered around our little sheltering tree. I needed some time to myself, and a nice walk would be perfect. And besides, it would be nice to know the territory that we could be staying in for a while; I might find a better place to stay. I was just about to leave when I hear a voice behind me.

"Hey, Nala, wait up!" Estana ran to my side, panting a little.

"Oh, ah, hey Estana," I smiled at him.

"So, whatcha doing?" He asked, most likely already knowing what I was doing.

"Just taking a walk. It's nice to get some leisure time every once in a while." I shrug and glance up at the shining stars.

"Hmm, mind if I tag along?" His voice is really soothing, and it makes a tingle go up my spine.

"No, of course not," I glance in his direction.

His amber eyes are looking straight into mine. The way his head is tilted back makes them catch the moon's rays. My heart starts to thump inside my chest. I'm praying he couldn't hear it. His lips are curled into a small smile. I try to compose myself; hopefully I don't look like a love-struck idiot. What am I thinking? Simba is my love, and will be forever.

The two of us walk in silence, but it isn't an awkward silence, more of a peaceful one. My mind wanders as I take in the beautiful scenery, how lucky I am. My life could have been ended, like Simba's, but instead I was shown mercy. Though I still hate Zira, a small flicker of gratitude inside me sparks for her. Estana takes a step towards me, and our fur brushes lightly against each other.

After a few peaceful minutes of walking, we stop. It's a clearing, and the moon looks so pretty from here. Estana collapses onto the soft bed of grass. It feels rights, so I lay down next to him. This is oddly similar to the last time we spent time together. I focus on the stars, the lion beside me forgotten for the moment. It's just me and Simba right now. A soft breeze ruffles my check fur. I know it's him. I could almost make out a voice._ Okayyyy, It'ssss Okayyyy_

Estana turns his head in my direction, slightly cocked to the side. He looks cute that way.

"Anything you want to talk about?" He asks, I could almost taste his breathe.

Suddenly, it felt as though every thought I had in the last few days was spilling out of me. I left out my thoughts on him, but besides that, I told him a lot. And it felt nice to talk to him. He was a great listener. Estana would nod at the right places, and give me helpful advice. _I _just wish it were Simba lying next to me instead. After I had finished, I let out a sigh of relief. I could feel his stare bearing into the side of my face.

All of a sudden, he leaned over and kissed my check. Momentarily, I was stunned into silence. My heart seemed to split into two. How could he? I stood up abruptly, turning away from him. It was obvious I didn't want that kiss.

"Nala, I-" He tried to apologize but I just turned away.

He understood, and together we walked back in silence. I refused to even glance in his direction. He shouldn't have kissed me, I'm still in love with someone, and it isn't him. I swear I could almost feel the awkwardness between us and possibly even touch it. It didn't last too long, because when we got back there was a surprise.

Three lions, one male, one female, and one cub, stood next to Tatony, who was holding her cub as well. I walked ahead of Estana, glad to have an excuse to be away from him. The father and mother looked what I'd refer to as an outlander. Each was a little bit smaller than average. They both had bright green eyes and the cub looked just about the same. They seemed like a pretty happy family for the most part.

"We'd like to join your pride," The father told me.

I nodded, and we exchanged details about each other. I learned her name was Aisha, the cubs Jabari, and his father just liked to be called Titan. His name kind of seemed out of place compared to the rest of the names, but who am I to judge him?

"Ah! The cub," I heard a yell from behind a rock that was shadowed by the tree

I glanced over it at, and then toke a small step. Ocio was going to have a child. Mita appeared by the rock and gave us all a very stern and meaningful look. No one was to disturb them. Oh well, it would be a good time to get acquainted with the newcomers. We all talked for a few hours, and I was able to stop thinking about Simba and Estana.

"Come on!" I heard a voice yell from behind the rock.

I anxiously walked over to it. I was itching to see the new cub, to confirm my prayers. I sighed. It was a boy. The cub was snuggled under Ocio's paws. He looked nothing like her. He had dazzling green eyes, while hers were amber. His fur was also much darker than Ocio's. The only similarity I could see between the two was the ear shape. He must look a lot like his father. A single tear slid down Ocio's check, she must see the father in the cub.

The rest of the pride gathered around to greet the cub. It was a happy time, but I could still see Estana regretfully staring at me.

* * *

Three pairs of eyes stared at the group, undetected. They were peering through some especially long grass.

"Ugh, I hate those lions so much. Just look at them. Stinky, and oddly colored, and man are they ugly!" A voice growled.

"I know. I hate to see Zira thrive as much. In fact wouldn't it just be nice if they killed each other off?" A male voice snarled.

"Yeah, it would be nice, in fact, I think you're on to something. After Scar ditched us, I say it's time for some pay back, on both of those stupid lion pride," The female voice agreed.

"Ha-Ha! Ha-hee-Ha Ha!" The third voice belonging to the last pair of eyes erupted in laughter.

"SHUT UP ED!" The male voice roared.

The hyena threw itself at Ed. They two quarreled. The female, and leader, rolled her eyes. Boys.

"Knock it off, Banzia! They'll hear you," She growled.

"He started it," Banzia pulled away from Ed, who was biting on his own leg.

"Let's go, we've got some work ahead of us boys. I think the era of the hyenas might just be coming back," Shenzi laughed.

The three chuckled and walked away from the group

* * *

Sorry this chapter toke so long to put up. With christmas just about here, I had a lot of stuff to do. Oh, I was meaning to ask which you like better, Kiara or Kovu. I kinda need to know for something I'm going to do later on. Please review.


	7. Vitani

**Chapter 7**

**Vitani**

Vitani stood silently, watching. Was this really what the pride had become? It felt like here all the lions had become even more horrible. She wanted to believe that inside they were really good, but how was that possible when she watched them mercilessly tear apart some of the pride landers apart? Vitani, as crazy as it sounded, almost wanted to return to the outlands. At least there everyone had agreed on one thing, their hatred for Simba. She didn't even know how bad Simba was anymore, though. When he was running the pride lands, there weren't shortages of food, or meaninglessly mass killings.

Two lions she knew pretty well fought each other. Maybe it was their greediness that caused all the fights. They were fighting over a whole antelope that could easily be shared between the two. There were probably too many unnecessary hunts going on as well. Whole antelopes were going to waste just because the pride was so overwhelmed with all this food! And what was worse, her mother just sat by and let everything happen. She didn't care what-so ever what her pride was doing. Zira was just power crazy. Revenge crazy. Vitani had concluded that Zira's only reason for letting Nala go was so the pride could hunt her down and kill her.

The pride lands were so pretty, much prettier then where she grew up in. The way the grass softly rippled under the hot savannah sun was really relaxing. Vitani arched her back and then stretched her long legs. Her eyes felt heavy. She lied her head on her paws and was about to close her eyes when she spotted something in the distance. Three animals were making their way towards her pride. She rose at once and narrowed her eyes. They were too small to be lions; in fact they looked similar to hyenas. Ugh, hyenas are gross.

"What do they want?" She wondered out-loud.

"Who?" Kivuli snuck up behind me.

She almost jumped off the ground. Vitani glanced behind her. Kivuli had snuck up behind her and just about made her pee herself. Kivuli had large gray eyes, and a nose similar to Kovu's. His fur was slightly darker then hers, almost a light brown. His majestic mane hung loosely around his head, Kivuli's two torn ears stuck out of his head. He had a strong build. Kivuli had been talking to Vitani a lot lately. It made her suspicious that he maybe had a crush on her.

"See those shapes?" She raised her paw and pointed out towards the hyenas.

He made a face and then nodded. She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Kivuli shot me a small smile.

"Do you want to go check it out?" He offered.

I shrugged, "Sure, why not,"

They set off towards the shape. Each one held their head high, trying to intimidate the hyenas. Vitani knew her father, Scar, had connections with the animals, but her mother had wanted nothing to do with them. Rumor had it they were the ones that had really finished off him. She could now see that two were male and one female. One of the hyenas looked a little….off, and wouldn't stop laughing.

"Why hello..." The female one lead off.

"Vitani. What do you want?" She growled, showing hostility.

"We've learned the whereabouts of Nala's pride," The non-crazy male spoke up.

She cocked her head slightly to the side. Well that was unexpected. Questions filled Vitani's mind, but she knew better than to ask them. Zira would ask them anyways, so they should just hurry up and get back. She quickly exchanged a look with Kivuli. They soon were back at pride rock. A few lions greeted them, but gave nasty looks to the hyenas. Vitani didn't have a problem with that though.

"What do you want?" Zira growled, emerging from her den.

"We're here to talk about Nala," They explained.

This sparked her interest. Zira approached them, she was hostile of course. The hyenas tried to look brave, but I could tell something was up with them.

"We know where their pride is," Shenzi continued.

"What?! How do you know this?" She demanded.

"Well… we kind of stumbled upon their uh, pride while we were, um, traveling," Banzia explained taking a step back.

Zira thought for a moment. She seemed more on edge than usual today. Vitani decided she should also have a voice in this.

"Why would you want to help us anyways?" She questioned.

"You seriously think we like Nala more then you? We'd like to see them go down as much as you would. They banished us too, remember?" Shenzi informed the pride.

Whispers and hushed voices spread throughout the pride. Zira pondered the idea. She absolutely hated Nala, enough to work with the hyenas. Vitani wasn't so sure. They were always so… sneaky. Zira now stood in front of the hyenas.

"Mom, we can't trust them," She muttered.

"Shut up Vitani," Zira snapped.

She toke a step back. Why was her mother so angry? Anger boiled inside her. Fine. Have it her way. Vitani huffed away. Kivuli followed after her.

"You okay?" Kivuli asked.

"No, my err!" Vitani growled, pacing in a circle.

"You want to talk about it?" He offered helpfully.

"It's just that she so caught up in revenge. It's all she ever talks about, thinks about! Zira even sent a patrol to kill her own son. I don't know if she'll ever be the same," She felt her voice crack at the end.

Kivuli comfortingly leaned against her. She put her head on his shoulder. The stood there like that for a few minutes before Vitani lifted her head. She bit the inside of her check. She probably shouldn't have said that much. Her mom wasn't above banishing her.

"Thanks," She whispered.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm there whenever you need me," He smiled.

They both walked back towards Zira. Her and the hyenas were talking intently. Vitani picked up some of their conversation.

"So how large is the pride?"

"About 4 or five lions, not really much of a pride at all. And they are all female. So I'd send about 6 or 7 lions with a few males to take them down,"

Vitani rolled her eyes. Stupid sexist hyena. She could fight just as good as any male, probably better.

"Hmm, what about how far away?"

"About a day's walk away."

"So are you going to fight?"

"Well…no, we weren't planning on it."

"Don't think that just because of this that we are buddies,"

"Oh no,"

Vitani's mind wandered to other thing. What would happen after Zira killed Nala? Would she go back to being the normal Zira that Vitani had grown up with, or had she always just been like this and Vitani hadn't noticed? Kivuli nudged her shoulder. She glanced up at him. His grey eyes were focused on Zira. She glanced up to see Zira staring right at them.

"Well are you coming?" Zira growled.

"Uh yeah," Kivuli trotted towards her, leaving Vitani alone once more.

A small group of lions had formed around Zira. Her eyes seemed crazed. Vitani watched uneasily. She suddenly felt overwhelmed. She couldn't watch. If only Nuka or Kovu were here, that one of them could comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be just fine.

"When you demolish their pack, kill them all besides Nala. I want you to take her back here alive. I am going to be the one that kills her," She seemed excited, on edge.

A shudder ran up Vitani's spine. She turned away. Everything was so messed up here, if only things could go back to the way they were, even as bad as they were.

* * *

Sorry this chapter is so short, I just really wanted to pu up how life back in the pridelands are. As you can see Vitani is starting to doubt her mother. Thanks for the reviews.


	8. Tatony's last wish

**Chapter 8**

**Tatony's last wish**

34 sunrises. That's how long ago Simba died. That's the last time I've seen my daughter, or even heard from her. It's been a long time, but the pain seems to still insist on hurting me every time I thought of them. All of the pain I endured every day was because of one wicked lioness. Zira. Rafiki had warned me that killing Zira would only cause more pain and suffering to the pride lands, but it was just about the only way I saw fit to bring her justice. Even if I happened to find a way to make her pay without killing her, there would be no way I could have the pride lands back.

"Nala?" A small voice brought me back to reality.

"Yes?" I asked.

Jabari shifted uncomfortably. Her big green eyes stared into mine. I cocked my head slightly to the side, wondering what she wanted. She toke a deep breathe, like she was about to give me a long speech.

"Can you tell me about Kiara?" She asked, totally catching me off guard.

I expected pain to slice through my heart, but instead I found myself smiling. This little cub probably thought Kiara was cool and all, being a princess and looked up to her. I wondered if her parents knew that she was asking me this. Probably not. I nodded and began to tell her my daughter's life story. She sat down and listened to it like it was the most amazing thing she had ever heard. Talking about Kiara surprisingly made the empty feeling in my chest feel a bit less empty. Finally, I got to the part where I split up with Kiara and started my own pride.

"I bet Kiara and Kovu are still alive," She sounded confident.

"Yeah, me too," I smiled at her.

"Jabari?" A feminine voice called out.

The small cub's head whipped in the direction of the voice. She tail flickered playfully and she trotted out of the den, probably to share the story with her mother. The family had only been with us for a week, but they already belonged. I spotted Ocio and her cub, Silvius, playing not far away. Well, more like the cub was running around and falling down while Ocio watched. She had named the cub after his father. I couldn't help but think that I would have done the same thing. We were a lot alike.

Standing up, I stretched my legs, eager to get something done instead of lying around. That's when I saw him. My stomach churned, but for what reason I didn't know. My feelings were mixed about him right now, but something felt wrong. He was running towards us wildly, fear in his eyes. My fur stood up and soon other lions had noticed him running towards us. Tatony and Ocio pulled their cubs close to them.

"Estana?" I asked coolly.

"Nala," he panted, "they are coming,"

His words sent a chill down my spine. Who was coming? Despite everything, I felt hope flutter in my chest. Could he be talking about Kiara and Kovu? Murmurs broke out between the lionesses.

"Who's coming?" I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side.

"The outlanders," he said.

My blood turned to ice, and for one short moment I felt fear and panic wash over me. But those feelings were quickly replaced with hatred and anger. How dare they take my home, and then come hunt me down. I glanced around at the threee cubs. In seconds my mind had gone from an offensive mood to a defensive mood. They were the most vulnerablen and our future.

"Tatony, Aisha, and Ocio take the cubs up the tree. That way they will stay out of this fight. Estana, gather the rest of the lions and bring them here, now. If they want a fight, they'll get one," I instructed.

Estana toke off running while the cubs were swiftly gathered up, and shoved up the tree. It looked kind of pitiful, but I couldn't think of any better place for them to be. That's when I saw them. There weren't as many as I thought, but they seemed much more in shape then us.

"Come on, Dalai." I hear Ocio urging her cub up the tree.

"Estana!" I yelled, my voice alsmot cracking from panic.

Mita ran to my side. The other lions were out hunting, which made me nervous. The total amoun of us fighting would only be 5. Could we take them? I'd better hope so, otherwise my end was near. Mita glanced at me nervously, thinking, no doubt, the same things that I was.

"What if we can't beat them?" She asked.

"Then we take as many of them with us as we can," I growled.

I started to walk towards them. No way I was showing fear. I hoped that Simba was looking down at me in pride. I would fight for him. To my right, I could see Estana, Mita, and Titan running towards us. Well, there's reinforcements. We were now close enough that I could make out each lion clearly. None of them I recognized. Total there was 8. 3 were males and the rest females. I might be abled to take on 2 lions, but I wasn't sure that Mita could even stand her ground against one.

We broke out into a full blown run. It toke mere seconds before we were upon each other. A male lion threw himself at me with sheer viciousness. I met him mid-air, and tore my paws through the air at him. One connected with the side of his face, makng him roar with pain. I feel back onto the ground and tensed my muslces, ready to pounce or defend myself.

The lion charged towards me. His claws made contact with my shoulder. A hot, sharp, pain shot up my spine. I growled and dodged another blow. Screams of rage and fear echoed through the air. Blood had already began to stain the once, green grass. I reared up slightly and swatted at his eyes. He backed up, which gave me enough time to get a good bite out of his shoulder.

The lion growled, blood now dripping from his chest and my chin. Our eyes meet for a moment, before we threw ourselves at each other. His weight threw me back. I stumbled, and then suddenly I was pinned. I could feel his hot, stinky breath on my face. My first reaction was surprise. No one ever pinned me. Then I saw his smirk and the surprise turned to anger.

"Well, Well, Well, Nala. Zira will be pleased. You see, she demanded that we bring back you. Zira wants you alive." He snickered evily at me.

"Tell Zira to burn in hell," I spat back in his face.

"She is going to make hell on earth for you. Zira will be very pleased with me. Maybe even make me her king." He paused, a horrorible look settling over his face,"Funny how much good can come out of death. Espically Simba's."

If I was angry before, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. My blood began to boil and I started seeing red.I propped my leggs underneath his belly and pushed with everything I had. I didn't exactly send him flying, but I was enough for me to have enough time to pin him. His stunned look was priceless. This time I wasn't mercyless. I let loose with everything I had, biting and scratchig. His body went limp under my paws.

"Nala!" I heard a voice yell.

Suddenly, Estana was next to me. He was covered in specks and spots of red. His eyes were wild and wide.

"It's the cubs." He panted.

A too familiar scream rang through the air that sent chills down my spin. I spun around to see Tatony being attacked by two outlanders. My heart began to pound in my chest. Ocio was up in the tree with the cubs. Aisha must have ran off to help, because she was no where to be seen. I toke off towards my friend, desprete to help her and keep the cubs safe.

Tatony was thrown to the ground and claws slashed at her face. I barrelled into one of the lioness, taking her to the ground. I tried to bite the back of her neck, but she threw me off. I slammed hard into the ground, but quickly recovered. I ran at her again, this time able to pin her to the ground. She tried to wiggled out from underneath me, but I slammed her head hard. I turned to help Tatony, but I was too late.

Tatony was laying on the grond weakly. There was a pool of blood surronding her. The fur on her neck was matted with blood. Her eyes were half open and staring straight at me. She was trying to mouth something to me, but her words came out as rasps. Just then I heard a scream.

"Mommy!" Lakae howled.

The outlander was inches away from the tiny cub. Her small eyes were large with fear as she raised a paw. Ocio was frantically trying to pull the cub farther back, but there was no where to go. I stood up on my hind legs and slammed my paws onto the lionesses shoulder's. My claws snagged her skin and fur, so I pulled back. The lioness tumbled to the ground from the tree. I tried to pin her down, but she seemed to be a more experinced fighter than the other lioness. We crouched low to the ground and began to circle each other, niether of us finding a good opening to attack. Her lips were curled into a sly grin.

"After I take you out, I'll kill each of those cubs, one by one. Then there'll be nothing left of your pititful pride." She taunted me.

"I'd like to see you try," I hissed at her.

Suddenly, she lounged straight at me. Her paws caught my shoulder, and we went down in a furry mess. My back was on the ground, and she was crouching over the top of me. She shot for my neck, but I swatted her muzzle away. I quickly rolled away from her, and onto my feet. Staying low, I barreled into her, sending her slamming into the tree. The cubs screamed, which made my heart hammer even harder. The lioness had recovered, and was about the attack me, when something fell and slammed her hard into the ground.

Ocio had dropped from the tree, and was now standing ontop of the sprawled out and injured outlander. Her eyes were narrowed and full of pure hatred. The lioness was struggled to get out from underneath her paws, but I could tell it was in pain. Ocio swifly bent down and bite the back of it's neck, causing the lioness to howl with pain. Ocio seemed to have the situation under controll, so I ran over to my wounded friend.

Tatony's eyes were glazed. For a fearfull moment I thought she might have died, but I saying her chest lifting and relief washed over me. Sudden tears began to spill from my eyes and splatter on my paws. She looked up at me and opened her mouth. She tried to say something, but all that came out was noise. I leaned close to her, this time really listening.

"Lak, Lakae," She coughed weakly.

Her eyes slowly closed. Her chest stopped moving. She was dead, but I knew what she had wanted.

"No,no,no," I began to sob uncomtorably.

"Nala," Ocio warned me.

I looked up, and noticed the fighting had stopped. The pride was either treating their injuries, or watching me. Emotion pain was consuming me, but I couldn't show weakness infront of them. I was their leader. Blood bathed everyone and everything. A few bodies were scattered across the battle feild. As far as I could tell, there was only one causualty. The thought of her made my eyes water.

"Where is Mita?" I choked out.

"It's Chakaa, She's hurt pretty bad..."Aisha explained, trailing off at the end.

Estana was watching me nervously. Blood was soaked in his man and scratches covered his entire body. Titan and Aisha stood next to him, both looking equally as beaten up. My eyes scanned over the scene, this time catching Mita leaning over a body. Only the body wasn't a body, it was Chakaa. She wasn't dead either, but looked pretty horrible. The cubs came scrambling down the tree.

"Momma?" Lakae stumbled over to her mother's dead body.

I turned away from the cub. It was too painful. Ocio gathered her cub close to her and tried to soothe him. She glanced up at me, then returned her gaze to Dalai. I closed my eyes, just wanting all the pain to go away.

* * *

This chapter toke a long time to put up, sorry about that. My computer was temporaryily broken. Please review!


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